*sniff* The player who persuaded me to watch professional soccer...
 

...is retiring.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-...,5788885.story

While it's a bit sad that I was inspired by Cobi Jones before, say, Yashin, Moore, or Cruijff, Jones' retirement is sadder.

So, did any players in particular spark your interest in watching televised soccer/football?

Mario Lemieux and the mid-90's Penguins were reason enough for me to watch hockey.

How true.

I'm usually inspired by teams, not players, but Lemieux nearly single-handedly (excluding the front office, of course) dragging the Penguins from the cellar made me a lifelong fan. If the greatest exhibition of a person's respect is his/her Internet nickname, well, "theq66" is STILL my username on most message boards.

I'll be sad soon it was Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, David Beckham and Paul Scholes in 93-94 and 94-95 (The Fledglings) which persuaded me to be a Manchester United Fan 1 of whom has already retired with the other 4 only having a few seasons left.

Nowadays its Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney who tickle my excitement with alot of others who play for Manchester United, its because of the players that I love the team and it always has been; Sir Alex Ferguson has always gone for the exciting ones.

I was inspired to play soccer by manchester united in general as a team not just single players and they are still a good strong team today and its not all just about rooney and ronaldo they have other good players that are able to score

Vidic and Carrick have been so good this season, but I'd still pick Heinze over Evra any day he's a much stonger and more competitive left back.

I agree its the team as a whole, I love this first XI this season but its those players with that little bit of magic that really get the heart rate going. When certain players have the ball you know somethings going to happen, it was this by Cantona that really got me going and the great Dane with the saves Peter Schmeichel, with the Fledglings to follow.

Back in the mid 90's it was Manchester United that got me watching football. Beckham, Giggs, Cantona, and Schmeichel were the players in particular that got me watching. Nowadays it is the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney that have me watching the footie, you never know what they are going to conjure up next.